I would buy a product version of this too, even though I have calendar notifications on 3+ devices.<p>I really like the aesthetics. There's something human about it -- it reminds me of Susan Kare's work on the original Macintosh [1]. There's so much soul and whimsy in what were nothing more than B&W pixeled icons. There's a certain timelessness to it. Another example: HyperCard's main screen [2].<p>Another Raspberry Pi digital display project I really like is this one [3], which mimics a train station display. The aesthetics is powerful here too because the fonts etc. reminds one of something familiar in the physical world.<p>[1] <a href="https://kare.com/apple-icons/" rel="nofollow">https://kare.com/apple-icons/</a><p>[2] <a href="https://blog.archive.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MTIyMzI2ODgxMjYwNTYzNzM3.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://blog.archive.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MTIyMzI2...</a><p>[3] <a href="https://www.balena.io/blog/build-a-raspberry-pi-powered-train-station-oled-sign-for-your-desk/" rel="nofollow">https://www.balena.io/blog/build-a-raspberry-pi-powered-trai...</a>
This is cool! I have some things like this around my house but via a different approach that I'd like to share: each one is just an old-ish e-reader from eBay or Craigslist, a mix of Kobos and Kindles. Both brands can be made to show a full screen web browser (Kobo: by editing a config file from a computer, Kindle: by jailbreaking and installing Kindle-Web-Launcher), so I have them display a page from a web server on my LAN.<p>Since the browsers support JS and some mix of WebSockets, EventSource, and, at the very least, long polling, it's possible to send messages out to them to update data in real-time or refresh the entire page when I change it. The screens are sharp and the browsers do partial updates, fast enough that I have some touch-draggable sliders that follow your finger.<p>They cost me from $16-50 each, depending on model. They tend to be cheaper if there's a lot of wear/damage to the case, but if you put it in a shell or cover the whole thing with gaffer's tape, that's not a problem!
I made an e-ink clock, but ultimately found it unsuitable for my desk. The problem is that when the display refreshes, it switches from white to black and back to white, and all this activity in the corner of your eye ends up being quite distracting. You are guaranteed to look at it whenever it changes, making it worse than a notification on your phone in terms of interruption. That might be the right thing for "you have a meeting now!" (you're interrupted anyway), but it's not great for passive information like the time.<p>I am told that with some amount of hacking and a supportive chipset/vendor, you can avoid most of this without reducing the lifetime of the display with the right calibration constants for the device... but nobody seems to have open-sourced anything like this and even places like Adafruit don't provide proper datasheets.
I would really love to make one of these for myself. This would be my first Raspberry Pi project. However, I'm a little to scared to even step into it because I'm not a hardware guy at all - I wouldn't know which pins from the display goes where. I can solder stuff, but I'd need help figuring out what goes where.<p>Second scare is about how to get the software onto Raspberry pi W. In the past, all how-tos I have read just say "flash it" and go on to the next cool step, but I'm lost right there.... how to get the software into the thing? - SSH?<p>My point is, I'd appreciate a really beginner friendly write up of your project. From the parts list, how to connect everything, and how to get the software on to it. I'd pay for such a tutorial rather than the finished product. I know it is your time that I am asking for, but I wish you found time to spare to help a beginner like me.
I have an Amazon Echo Show 5 on my desk that's connected to my calendar. I've updated the homescreen settings such that it only alternates between the current time and the calendar display, which displays the next upcoming event. (It also displays the date and current weather conditions.) Having used the Echo Show, I definitely see the appeal in a device like UpNext, and I wish there was a decent hack-able small display that people could use to build these types of devices. In the past I've paired a Raspberry Pi and a touchscreen display, but that's clunky and doesn't look all that great. A while back, I really wanted a Chumby[1], and I wish something like that still existed.<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby</a>
I made something similar with Raspberry Pi + E-ink display: <a href="https://polso.info/raspberry-pi-e-ink-photo-frame-video-and-full-source-code" rel="nofollow">https://polso.info/raspberry-pi-e-ink-photo-frame-video-and-...</a>
Waveshare is probably the easiest way to play with eInk today. If you're willing to look at different sizes, they offer displays with partial refresh already built in.<p>The 2.7 inch models are nice for people beginning with hardware because it's already built as a Raspberry Pi HAT, literally plug and play, no soldering or wires required.
<a href="https://www.waveshare.com/product/displays/e-paper/2.7inch-e-paper-hat.htm" rel="nofollow">https://www.waveshare.com/product/displays/e-paper/2.7inch-e...</a><p>The bottom of that page lists the other models; look for the ones supporting partial refresh to get around that flashing distraction.
I have an old kindle where I was trying to repurpose it for this kind of thing but got stuck after trying to flash it with some custom firmware.... will try again this weekend.<p>These kinds of projects are cool, but I think they’re even cooler if they’re reusing stuff you already have in random drawers in your house
Lovely...<p>Is anybody else at the point of establishing their own digital calendar system? I feel like my main web-based calendar, one lots of people use, is powerful, but mainly in super boring ways. And it's functional, but mainly also in boring ways. It fits more like a generic pair of slacks, than a nice glove.<p>For example, I think I would cram the interface all the way up, and then slim down from there if needed. I may have some kind of material design-derived interface illness. I look at the interfaces of things like shortwave and ham radios and just think--yes, good, I am a big boy and can tolerate much more info-noise from my calendar display. Heck, cram the latest Get Fuzzy in there. And maybe even complex keyboard shortcuts, shell script integration, the sky's the limit!
This is truly fantastic, the use of an eink display so that it doesn't shout for attention but is always ready is such a good call and in my opinion worth the additional effort. Thanks for sharing and making the code available for others to read and learn from.
This sounds like another good use for this powerless e-ink reader:<p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22604617" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22604617</a><p>Maybe it could be hooked up to a microcontroller (Pi Zero with some NFC module or something) that turns on every 24h.
Neat project!<p>I was hoping of building a similar one using a simple LCD [<a href="https://robu.in/product/3-5-touch-screen-lcd-raspberry-pi/" rel="nofollow">https://robu.in/product/3-5-touch-screen-lcd-raspberry-pi/</a>] display, with a way to even showcase urgency/priority - and list at least next three events lined up for the day.<p>Possibly even add a color code / simple snooze button as the LCD is touch responsive. Found <a href="https://github.com/monitoror/monitoror" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/monitoror/monitoror</a> and hoped to use it for this purpose.
Seeing as Nook Simple Touches go for about $20 on ebay and can be rooted to be a pretty basic Android 2.0 tablet, would this be a significantly cheaper and easier way of achieving the same results or is developing even the most rudimentary of apps for Android 2.0 an absolute nightmare in the modern day.
I would actually buy a product version of this. I use a Remarkable E-Ink tablet and its pretty incredible. This would be quite nice, so only the notifications i really care about ( where i need to be ) show up without sounds and colors and all the distractions would be amazing
Looks like a satisfying project! Also, website design is nice - plenty of negative space and contrasting font weights creates an elegant, easy to read site. When I redo my blog, I would love to shoot for something similar.